20 More Ways for Airlines to Charge

American, Cutting Back, Plans $15 Bag Fee:

American Airlines said Wednesday that it would soon start charging passengers $15 to check their first bag each way, or $30 round-trip, if they are flying on a discounted fare. The airline’s new policy — to take effect June 15 — comes only two weeks after many major carriers, including American, began charging $25 each way for checking a second bag.

The new fee is just the latest example of airlines adding charges on top of rising airfares, even at the risk of angering travelers further, to make up for the billions of dollars they are losing as fuel prices soar. . .


American Airlines executives said they had little choice but to impose such fees, given that the price of jet fuel is up more than 80 percent from a year ago.

These executives need some training in logical thinking. What they meant to say was:

"Jet fuel has gone up more than 80% from last year, therefore we have to do something to lower other costs or raise other revenue."

This wasn't the only option. They had choices. Imposing "such fees" was the one they chose. One choice is to come clean with the costs. Publish all the expenses - including executive salaries and perks (including how much you pay the people who say they had no choice) and show us how much it really costs to fly from one place to another listing every cost, per passenger. And how much an extra piece of baggage costs. Then we can all look at possible ways to cut costs. If there aren't any, then we have to face reality and fork over more money if we want to fly.

From one perspective, the new charge makes sense. If extra luggage means more fuel is used, then perhaps you could justify an additional fee to those who bring extra suitcases. Those who don't use the service shouldn't pay. But by that logic, we should weigh every passenger and charge by the kilo.

But we are also human beings, and there is a reason that the phrase "nickel and dimed" has come into our language. And for me, and it sounds like many others too, it applies here.

The market is supposed to work to keep prices in line. When something gets too expensive, people are supposed to change their buying habits. I'd like to see if anyone has studied the distortion effects that unlimited credit card debt and a growing sense of universal entitlement have had on the demand side.

We are like the airline execs who say, "We had no choice." Sure we have a choice and
in the case of driving and flying, cutting back could also help the environment. We need to just say no. Find things to do close to home. Talk to our loved ones via Skype instead of flying to see them. Or not leaving them in the first place. No one flew in a plane to get anywhere before 1908. Very few people had actually flown anywhere even in 1960. I recall being shocked by learning that something like only 20% of the US population had flown in an airplane in 1960. Finding that sort of information now is not easy, but I did find this:

Whereas only 10 percent of the adult US population had ever traveled in an airliner during the late 1940s, 63 percent had done so by 1977...

and this:

The growing pervasiveness of air travel can be seen by the increasing numbers of people who have flown on a commercial jet: less than 50 percent in 1975 compared with more than 80 percent today. [ Last modified: April 29, 2008 15:55]

Still today then, 20% of the population has survived without ever flying in a commercial jet.
Life without jets is possible. If flying becomes inconvenient enough and expensive enough, we may find that returning to trains (though more hi-tech than those that lost out to planes) and traveling overseas by ship may once again become more comfortable and make more sense. Only those with urgent speed needs would fly.

But, in case we can't say no, here's my list of:

20 More Ways for Airlines to Charge

1. Seat reservations (hmmmm, Air Asia already does this)
2. Bathroom tokens $3 each - auctions for those who want to go to the head of the line
3. Surcharge to use a bathroom that gets cleaned between flights
4. $5 to view flight arrival and departure information board
   
5. Extra for seats - others stand like in a subway, or for a lower charge get to sit on wooden benches, maybe discount fairs will mean flying in the baggage compartment
6. $5 exit fee to get off the plane
7. Entrance fee to the baggage pick up area
8. Service charge for using the light, head phones, call button which is calculated by an onboard computer plus an administrative fee for that
9. $1/minute fee (rounded up to the nearest minute) for all flight attendant service - smiles extra
10. Overhead luggage space will be converted to pay lockers
11. Surcharge to cover cleaning the plane between flights
12. On time arrival surcharge
13. Charge passengers by the kilo
14. Trash pick up service charge, fee for empty barf bags, much bigger fee if you fill one
15. Life vest surcharge and fees for the flight emergency instructions card
16. Extra $3 if you want to open the window shade
17. $10 extra if you want a seat with an overhead oxygen mask
18. $3 for a clean head rest cover
19. $10 for wheel chairs
20. $5 a minute for screaming kids